Confirmed: Pepsi To Launch Smartphones In China

Turns out, all those rumors were true. Pepsi has confirmed that it is gearing up to launch a new line of smartphones and accessories in China in the next few months. The beverage company will soon be selling phones, but there is no word on a diet version for now. A Pepsi spokeswoman told Reuters by email that the phone would be available in China only.

PepsiCo working with a licensing partner

The New York company won’t get into manufacturing handsets. It will be licensing its brand to a partner. It is similar to the company’s recent efforts to launch Pepsi-branded products including apparel and accessories in different markets. The spokeswoman declined to provide any further details about the device or the licensing partner.

Technology website Mobipicker reported Sunday that the device would be called Pepsi P1 with “decent but not high-end specs.” The publication added that the soft-drink company will officially announce the device on October 20. Rumors coming out of China suggest that it will be a mid-range Android phone priced between $200 and $205. Only time will tell if Pepsi’s bitter rival Coca-Cola follows suit.

Pepsi P1 features and specs

Rumors suggest that the phone will feature a 5.5-inch display with 1080p resolution, 2GB RAM, 16GB of built-in storage, 13-megapixel main camera, and 5MP front snapper. It will run Android 5.1 Lollipop right out of the box. Pepsi P1 would feature a true octa-core 1.7GHz MediaTek MT6592 processor and ARM Mali-450 MP4 graphics processor. The device will be powered by a huge 3,000mAh battery.

Pepsi’s move is part of a wider marketing strategy, though it would make the smartphone world even more crowded. The brand Pepsi is already popular worldwide, which should help its licensing partner sell more devices. The U.S. company is unlikely to be throwing much cash in the business.